Hodel, oh Hodel,Have I made a match for you!He's handsome, he's young!Alright, he's 62.But he's a nice man, a good catch, true?True.

I promise you'll be happy,And even if you're not,There's more to life than that---Don't ask me what.

Chava, I found him.Won't you be a lucky bride!He's handsome, he's tall,That is from side to side.But he's a nice man, a good catch, right?Right.

You heard he has a temper.He'll beat you every night,But only when he's sober,So you'll alright.

Did you think you'd get a prince?Well I do the best I can.With no dowry, no money, no family backgroundBe glad you got a man!

Chava:Matchmaker, Matchmaker,You know that I'mStill very young.Please, take your time.

Hodel:Up to this minute,I misunderstoodThat I could get stuck for good.

Chava and Hodel:Dear Yenta,See that he's gentleRemember,You were also a bride.It's not thatI'm sentimental

Chava and Hodel and Tzeitel:It's just that I'm terrified!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,Plan me no plansI'm in no rushMaybe I've learnedPlaying with matchesA girl can get burnedSo,Bring me no ringGroom me no groomFind me no findCatch me no catchUnless he's a matchless match.-------~-------

I'm going to go crazy if I continue having those 3 girls do a singing and dancing routine in my head for any longer.:(

Hrrmmmm....I suspect my mother may have intentions of pairing me off with a young doctor or someone along those lines...

Why do I think so?

Well, I am going for a wedding dinner of a close family friend's son, who happens to be a doctor, and out of all the dresses I have... my mother told me that I should wear a low cut one because (these are her words btw):"There will probably be many other young people around".

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

To celebrate the birthday of our loveable gentle giant, Soo Jin, we went to a new restaurant (less than 1 year old anyway) in the Bukit Damansara area, Chef & Brew:

A look at Chef & Brew.....

The restaurant is comfortable and has a modern style that I like.... Overall, it's nice without being too formal.

While waiting for the birthday boy, we browsed through the menu and saw a few absolute howlers inside (I still can't figure out whether it was them being "witty" or trying too hard with a language they are not comfortable with....):

Exhibit A:Cheese Chicken Burger:

"Chicken burger saying cheese."

Exhibit B:Minnestrone:"The stone soup! Taste wonderful! Just like the Mat Salleh like it."

And here's one us depraved, filthy minded people were laughing about....*drum roll*

The soups were both ok.The Mulligatawany Soup (RM5.90) was interesting - spicy with a strong curry flavour, with some rice inside the soup for texture. The Oxtail Soup (RM9.90) - made in a spicy Indonesian style - had one reasonably sized piece of meat inside but was not as robust as I like (my fave is still the one at Monte's @ BSC).

The Onion Rings (crispy!) and the Spicy Beef (spicy and tender!) were surprisingly good - wouldn't mind ordering these again.(I can't remember how much they cost exactly but it was reasonable lah)

For the mains, we had the Beef Burger (RM15), Sizzling Chicken Chop, Black Pepper Lamb Shank and Hainanese Beef Steak:

I felt adventurous so I ordered the Hainanese Beef Steak.The risk I took was clearly not rewarded though - It was dry, hard and generally tasteless.(I don't like to waste food but I only managed to force myself to eat half of this dish....)

The Beef Burger and the Lamb Shank didn't fare very well either as they were both a little dry and tough.

Jo-Lyn had the Sizzling Chicken Chop and said that it was ok (although a biiiit overcooked).

For dessert, out of sheer curiousity, I ordered the aforementioned Chocolate Sundae...:

The Chocolate Sundae

.... and I feel that I wasted 6 bucks.(Not nice!)(Or actually, too normal!!)[ BEGIN EDIT ](Narch 09)Just to update - the desserts at Chef & Brew have improved SIGNIFICANTLY. They are now not only worth trying but are actually nice!

Why? Because they have started (I think since last year) taking desserts from Just Heavenly (which is located just opposite their outlet).

Mind you, the chocolate sundae (which is still on the menu, last I checked) still SUCKS... but the chocolate volcano and the chocolate brownie are nice! :)

[ END EDIT ]

Overall, I suppose the restaurant is ok....The soups and appetizers were nice (oh, and the happy hour beer is good too - RM32 for a jug only) but a lot of the mains were very disappointing.... So, maybe it's a better place to have a light eat and drinks with friends rather than a nice dinner...Oh well.(They can't all be perfect)

So, it's: Affordable food, comfortable modern ambience BUT only so-so tasting food, hits and misses on the menu.... I'm not quite sure whether the menu speckled with hilarious English is a plus or a minus but well, it's a good laugh... :)

Monday, November 27, 2006

Me and a girl friend were having a idle chit chat over food one day when the topic (as usual) eventually strayed to men and relationships and all the things that go along with that.

Mostly, we wondered:What is so wrong with wanting to be swept off our feet by someone who is rich (and treats us well) so that we don't have to suffer the indignations of the bloody corporate world?(Our friend N who was there kept chirping: "Bimbos!.. *gasp*.. Such bimbotic thinking!" and pointing accusingly at us)

*sigh*

Seriously, all you feminists out there, pick your jaws off the floor and stop staring accusingly at me.... That goes for all you guys out there who are judging me.

Women really do have it hard nowadays.

Back then (in almost all parts of the world), there was so much oppression - females had no choice but to sit at home, cook, clean and breed... It was not necessarily a happy life but was definately a simple one.(No choice at all mah: it doesn't get any simpler than that........)

Now, there is (for the most part) PLENTY of choice.In fact, not only are you empowered to go out there and juggle being in half a dozen roles, you are pretty much EXPECTED to. I think women are just being stretched waaaaaay too thin.

YOU try being a good:

employee/ boss/ colleague/ friend/ wife/ mother/ sister/ daughter/ valuable member of society at the same time,

.... while being expected to balance the right amount of:

assertiveness/ feminity/ open-mindedness/ modesty/ etc

... AND know how to cook well too.

Crazy.It's friggin' INSANE, in fact.

Mind you, I'm not saying that men have it very easy...... but let's be fair:If in some way, it is ok for men to want to marry pretty girls then in the same way, it is ok for women to want to be swept off their feet by knights in shining armour...(ie. rich & nice men - however rare they may be).

Of course, I'm definately not endorsing extreme support into such thinking: I really do think it is better for women to be self reliant (i.e. earn their own money, etc) but on some days, when I am really weary from work, fantasies of "the good life" (private islands, flash cars, limitless credit cards, bling-bling, Swiss bank accounts overflowing with cash, swanky mansions, etc.) DO cross my mind.

So, sorry for setting back feminism about 300 years but that's just the honest truth.I am human - I am weak.(... and I'm obviously very gripey today)(Hey, you try going through "Hey, SURPRISEeeee!" type power outages23 times in a row and see whether your mood is good or not)

Friday, November 24, 2006

Basically, the outcome is that they'll tell you what sort of Tarot Card signifies you best and....*gasp*... it turns out that I am : THE DEVIL!O_o

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

1) Cut down on fattening things like chocolate.(This one holds the record of "Resolution Broken Most Often" for about 10 years running now but I just KNOW I'll achieve it this year! I think....).....Erm.... SKIP!

2) Exercise more.(Hmmmmm....this one's probably first runner up for the"Resolution Broken Most Often" record).....Aiyoh.... Skip this one too!

3) Read more stuff that feeds my brain......Well, I suppose I did read the newspaper more this year...

(PASS!)

:)

4) Keep on blogging.(New entry!).....YAY! One more successful resolution

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

[ Begin Edit ](Aug 07)Umaiya is expanding!They have a new outlet in Damansara Utama @ Uptown Jalan SS21/37 (Tel: 03-7726 4410). I haven't checked it out yet but I'll update when I do.(Hmmm... I wonder if the food is as good there as it is in the original outlet?)

[ End Edit ]

I admit it... I have been selfish..(Bad Chocoholic~!):(

This place is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants due to the consistency of its food, relative affordability and convenience but I haven't posted it up for I feared that it would be swamped with people...(It's not a very big outlet)

Anyway,... my bad.(I won't do it again....)

The Dinner

Umaiya is a simple Japanese restaurant on the ground floor area of a little shopping/ commercial center called The Place in the Damansara Perdana area....

From the outside....

It has a modern but cosy feel to it, with a few traditional Japanese touches here and there that adds character to the ambience:

From the inside....

There are not that many bento sets (which range from about RM20 - RM40) there but they make up for it with a pretty wide array of yummy ala carte dishes... Here are some starters that I enjoy, the Kaebi Karaage (something like that), Idaako and Seafood Salad:

Top to bottom: The Kaebi Karaage, Seafood Salad and Idaako

The Kaebi Karaage, which is basically deep fried mini prawns, is crunchy and fragrant. They are extra yummy with a dash of lemon but are horribly addictive so BEWARE! Haha....:)

The Idaako, marinated baby octopus, is also good.... Not overly fantastic, but at least it tastes fresh.

The Seafood Salad is great for people on a diet... There is a healthy and generous serving of seafood and fresh vegetables in a delicious Japanese dressing...(Not the usual Thousand Island or Italian Vinaigrette)It isn't enough to fill me up so I usually have it as a starter/ side dish but hey, if you're more concerned about calories, then it's good lah.

Onwards to the mains, here's my absolute favourite item on the menu.... the Dragon Maki:

O' Great Dragon Maki!

It's a maki (japanese roll) with a glorious concoction of Unagi (eel), Salmon, Tempura Prawn and Avocado all in one.*drooooool*To me, this is the perfect maki.PERFECT - texturally, taste-wise, everything.(It's affordable - but not THAT cheap... about RM25.. I think it's worth it, considering how much stuff they put in it)

Other items on the menu which are good too are the Umaiya Bento set, the maki with Unagi and Tempura Prawn and the Grilled Prawn with mayo/ fish roe sauce (have forgotten the fancy Japanese names - sorry):

Top to bottom: The Umaiya Bento, Unagi and Tempura Prawn Maki and Grilled Prawn

The bento is pretty heavy but it's good because it's got a bit of everything - grilled fish, maki, sashimi, fried rice, deep fried chicken as well as a side of chawan mushi and miso soup.

The grilled prawns are also good - fresh, fragrant and generously slathered with the savoury sauce - yum!

The Unagi and Tempura Prawn Maki is also ok.... but it just feels like its missing something... (Like I said, the Dragon Maki is my favourite)

The selection of desserts here is rather paltry but they are nice, simple ways to cap off your meal here... One example is the Goma (black sesame) ice cream:

Goma Ice Cream

It's definately not as full flavoured as the black sesame ice cream in the top notch restaurants,... and it kinda tastes more like peanut ice cream to me but for 9 bucks, it's ok.(As opposed to 20 bucks+ at the expensive Japanese restaurants):)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Oh thank you the Gods above and below: FINALLY the weekend is here....

It's been a crazy week and a half a work...(Hence the total lack of updates)... but hopefully I can catch my breath in these 2 days before jumping back into the deep end on Monday.

*gwumble*Didn't get to sleep very well last night though...Had this horrid nightmare with a "Sadako"-like ghost girl/ monster thingy but with loooooong white hair instead of black....

Ooooh.The feeling of that hair touching my face - EEK.*shivers*

Yes, yes, I know it was just a dream but hey, when you are dreaming you wouldn't know that it's not real, right?

I guess my problems is that my nightmares, although rare, can get pretty vivid.I remember when I was young my mum said that I started crying and talking in my sleep........ Of course, I had no recollection of actually doing this when I woke up so we'll all just have to take her word for it lah.(Hmmmm, I think that was the night that I dreamt that I was being chased by a green monster in one of those mazes made of plants.... Freaky! The feeling of eyes on you, a soft sound in the background, a shadow of a movement but you can't see anything there because it's so well camouflaged.....)

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

A few weeks ago, my long lost friend CL (by no fault of hers... I am so bad in keeping contact *sigh*) came back to Malaysia for a visit so we all met up in the new-ish outlet of Alexis in Bangsar Shopping Center (BSC).

It's so strange how low key this place is... It's actually situated right next to Esquire Kitchen but because of it's muted white and grey tones, you'd never notice it if you were walking by (and the name of the restaurant is so discrete that you could miss it if you didn't look really really hard)....

(One of my friends, SC, even mentioned that she had eaten here before but had no idea that it was called Alexis - haha)

Anyway, overall, I quite liked the ambience... It was modern and sophisticated with a lot of whites, grey and a few silver accents here and there (and romantic dim lighting too):

A peek at Alexis

We began the night with 3 of the recommended starters, the Thai Fish Cakes, the Calamari and the Grilled Prawns:

Top to bottom: The grilled prawns, calamari and Thai fish cakes

Now, to Alexis' defense, the 3 starters all tasted pretty good. However, as yummy as they were, they were also absolutely TINY for the price of about RM15 each.....

For the mains, we had the Stewed Lamb and the Grilled Cod:

Left to right: The Stewed Lamb and the Cod

Overall, the lamb was ok - I thought at first that the serving was very small but luckily they had the accompanying serving of yummy mash managed to fill me up...(The lamb wasn't particularly tender though - I'm not sure I'd try it again for the price tag of about RM36...)

The cod though was really nice - The texture was tender and the taste was delicious.(It is pretty hard to go wrong with cod though, as it is a very flavourful and delicate fish)(And again, the serving was just too small to justify the price.... If I'm not wrong this costs more than RM40)

Alexis is pretty well known for its delicious cakes and there are usually several to choose from at any one time so you will be spoilt for choice:

Choices, choices....

After drooling at the cake display for a while, we eventually picked 3 cakes, the Chocolate Silk, Chocolate Nutty Meringue and the Tiramisu:

First of all, the Chocolate Silk (which sounded so so good) was a disappointment. It wasn't like silk in any way (what a misleading name) and had a heavy, dry texture... Oh, and the strawberries which had looked so delicious turned out to be very sour.(FAIL!)

The Tiramisu, which is Alexis' specialty, was good... It is different from the usual Tiramisu as it has more texture in it, with its chocolate pieces, caramelized sugar pieces and crunchy bits of nuts.(Worth a try)

The Chocolate Nutty Meringue was my favourite though! It was light and fluffy with a delicious textural mix, sort of like a marshmallow, cream and nut filled cake.

Mind you, the cakes are not very cheap - going for about RM12 a piece....:(

So it's: Good selection of wine, romantic, modern ambience, ok food, delicious cakes BUT such small servings...! :(

Monday, November 13, 2006

There will be a fun-filled Bloggers' Party coming up soon, organised by Wingz of Rojaks Daily and his fellow commitee members:

The details are still a little sketchy, but so far, it is said that they have set the date as Saturday, 30th Dec 2006 and it will be held in the Federal Hotel in KL.(Exact details will be announced later)

Those interested, block your calenders and scoot on over to Rojaks Daily to leave a comment....

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Funny - it usually starts with the exact opposite, a stern precaution:"You are too young to think about love.... You must concentrate on school/ exams/ etc..."

Then, when you juuuuust get past puberty, there will be rare occasions where it starts to change to a half joking:"Waaaaaah - you are all grown up already! When are you going to a boyfriend?"(Usually from aunts/ uncles who like to pinch cheeks *sigh*)

Of course, after a few years and you get too close to the big THREE ZERO, it escalates dramatically to:"*Tsk-tsk* You are not getting any younger.... Cannot be SO fussy wan - you should find yourself a nice boy to take care of you!"(Those who do not get this constant reminder every day should consider themselves lucky)

And once you do actually find someone you like and hook up, it worsens to:"So, when are you two going to get married?"

OR the more serious variation of:"Tick tock tick tock.... *knudge-knudge* *point at watch with worried frown*"

OR perhaps a more direct:"I'm not gonna live forever - I want to see grandkids..... NOW (before your womb goes past its expiry date)"

I've even witnessed this horrificly guilt filled quote on a friend's birthday card:"My dear son... I am already an old woman. My last wish on earth is to see you with a nice girl. Then, I can die happy... (btw) Happy birthday..."

*laughs*I know that parents always want the best for their children....... but does that "best" necessarily need to = marriage+children?

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I want to go home........ but this bloody thunderstorm is keeping me hostage in my office...*violent lightning in the background*

Aaaaaaaaaaah....!>_<*shivers*

(I am such a wimp... *sigh*)I don't know about you but lightning has always frightened me, ever since I was a little girl... Just the thought of somehow getting struck by a random stream of thousands and thousands of volts from the sky just freaks me out.

While in Auckland, I had the chance to dine at a very highly recommended restaurant, Orbit, which is a revolving restaurant located right at the top of the tower in the Sky City Complex:

*J points*

"The restaurant is right on top of the Sky Tower... There! See?"

You will have to book a fair bit ahead of time as this place is incredibly popular, especially on weekends.(I called in from Malaysia almost a week ahead and the earliest possible time slot I got for Saturday night was 9.15pm)

Anyway, dining at the restaurant buys you a free trip up to the Observation Deck area of the tower (which saves you about NZ$25) where you can enjoy a 360° view of the surrounding Auckland area.(You can choose to go before or after your meal, between 8.30am and 10.30pm)

Orbit has been newly refurbished and has a romantic feel but with clean lines:

The view from the restaurant and a peek at the restaurant interior

"Waaaaaaah! Look at the pretty lights!" says "jakun" J.

There is also a spectacular view through the ceiling high glass panels, which revolves slowly as you dine....(I must say, the revolving mechanism at this restaurant is really smooth! I have been at others where it becomes a bit uncomfortable because you can feel some "jerk-iness")

We started off with the Sautéed scallops with grilled radicchio, capsicum and sprout salad with beetroot dressing:

The Scallops

(I remember this cost around NZ$16 but I lost the receipt so I can't be sure. Sorry....)It was ok, I guess - I thought that it tasted a bit "fishy" but at least the texture was pretty succulent.

Moving on to the mains, we had the Hawkes Bay lamb loin on potato mash with asparagus, grilled field mushrooms and red wine glaze and the Venison loin on a kumara and chestnut mash with braised red cabbage and a cranberry compote (they cost around NZ$28 each):

The Lamb and the Venison

The Lamb was definately the better of the two dishes.(But, still just "ok")The Venison was also "ok"... *rolls eyes*... it's sad but I really can't find a better word than "ok".(And here's the night that I discovered that I really don't like the taste of Kumara, which is a local tuber which tastes like a mix between normal potato and sweet potato)

The servings were fairly large so I really didn't have any space for dessert.... The selection of wine there was quite decent though, so we had fun slowly savouring our bottle of Pinot Noir after dinner.

Overall, (if you couldn't tell already) I was unimpressed with the food.... It's not that it was bad - it was just "OK". Still, I suppose the thing that makes Orbit special is the incredible view!(I cannot stress it enough though: It is ESSENTIAL to book at least 1 week ahead, especially for weekends - it's a very popular)

So it's: Great view, romantic ambience BUT the food's nothing special. Still, it's worth a try if you're visiting Auckland

Summary Information:

Orbit Revolving Restaurant

Monday to Friday:11.30am to 3.00pm, 5.30pm to 11.00pmSaturday and Sunday:12.00pm to 3.00pm, 5.30pm to 11.00pm

Note:A minimum charge of NZ$25 per person applies for lunch and dinner. A 15% surcharge applies on public holidays except Christmas day. Guests can also enjoy complimentary access to Sky Tower's main observation level before or after dining.

Monday, November 06, 2006

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your concern..........As you know, I haven't been in the greatest of moods over the last few days...

Before you say how silly it is for me to argue with my bf over some blog entry and stay angry for so long, let me say: That was definately not the root of the problem... It was more like the effect, not the cause....

No couple is perfect: Both him and I are definately human - with our own little idiosyncrasies. We will just have to work it out, in out own time....... but for all of you who cared enough to drop me messages/ hugs/ etc, thankyouthankyouthankyou...*hugs*

It's funny, isn't it?

Some of us have never met in real life but your personalities and sincerity (whether tinged with sarcastic humour or not - you know who you are) comes through so clearly that I can't help but to feel touched.(That's the great thing about the Internet - it challenges the traditional definitions of friendship, I think)

OMG I won a TOKL award! Thanks y'all! :)

I'm finally on Twitter - Here're my last 5 Tweets :)

Click to Subscribe....

About Me

A grumpy yet sweet Malaysian chocoholic on her encounters with food and the adventure called life....
I can't believe I've managed to keep this up since 2005. Hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have. :)